Kathy Griffin: 'I am no longer under federal investigation'

Author:
ABC News , WHAS

Published:
4:06 PM EDT July 30, 2017

Updated:
4:06 PM EDT July 30, 2017

(ABC News) -- After Kathy Griffin was photographed in May holding a fake bloodied, severed head of Donald Trump, a ferocious backlash ensued, and the comedian lost gigs and was subject to a Secret Service investigation.

But according to Griffin, she's now in the clear.

"I am no longer under federal investigation," she tweeted Friday. "The case is closed, I have been completely exonerated. Finally."

ABC News had contacted the Secret Service for comment.

At a press conference in early June, Griffin's attorney, Lisa Bloom said, "The Secret Service has reached out to her ... a comedian ... she has has to retain a criminal attorney ... For the first time in history that we are aware of, the POTUS and his family is personally attempting to ruin a comedian ... Whether or not you get or like her artistic expression, Kathy Griffin has the right to publicly ridicule the president."

When Griffin tweeted the photo initially, she wrote, "I caption this 'there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his ... wherever.'" It was a reference to an exchange between the president and former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly during the presidential primary season.

But Griffin quickly apologized for the photo, taken by celebrity photographer Tyler Shields, tweeting a video, in which she said, "Hey, everybody, it's me, Kathy Griffin. I sincerely apologize. I am just now seeing the reaction to these images. I'm a comic. I crossed the line. I move the line. Then I cross it. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn't funny."

Despite the apology, the Secret Service was not amused. It issued a statement — which did not specifically cite the controversy — saying, "The U.S. Secret Service has a critical mission. It is always unfortunate when people make statements that could be perceived as threats. We don't have the luxury of knowing a person's intent. Each alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly, which taxes Secret Service manpower and resources that could be utilized elsewhere."

On it! @SecretService has a robust protective intelligence division that monitors open source reporting & social media to evaluate threats